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ART, CRIME AND INJUSTICE
A Can of Worms in Mississippi
Originally posted on Justice for Willie Manning:
Radley Balko, writing last month in the Washington Post, describes how the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently turned down a request for post-conviction relief by a man convicted of murder in Mississippi. Tavares Flaggs was convicted largely on the basis of the autopsy testimony of…
Posted in: Crime
Pinocchio Law Keeps Jeffrey Havard on Death Row Despite His Innocence
March 20, 2014
[Havard] argues… “newly discovered evidence debunking shaken baby syndrome proves he is actually innocent of capital murder.” [The state] disagrees. “But first, [the state] would note that actual innocence does not entitle [Jeff Havard] to relief. ‘Actual innocence is a gateway claim made by petitioners in order to receive review of an otherwise procedurally barred […]
Appeal Denied: Nyki Kish Remains Behind Bars in a Travesty of Justice
March 18, 2014
Poet, songwriter and community activist Nyki Kish is currently serving a life sentence for a murder she did not commit. Nyki was charged and convicted in 2011 for the stabbing death of Ross Hammond, an internet porn marketing executive with no physical evidence and despite multiple eye witnesses accounts that all verified her story. Justice […]
Family of Murder Victim Loretta Saunders Vows to Keep Fighting for Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women
March 12, 2014
(Are you listening, Stephen Harper?) On February 13, 2014, Loretta Saunders, a pregnant 26-year old Inuk woman, went missing. Sadly, on February 26, her body was found in a wooded median along a New Brunswick highway. Police have not revealed how Loretta was killed, only that it’s a part of the evidence in the first-degree […]
Whipping the Pussy Riot Grrrl Act
March 7, 2014
“Riot Grrrl, in a conscious response to second-wave feminists’ rejection of the word “girl,” reclaimed it with pride — and also in parody. Songs, performances, and fashion statements mocked the depictions of feminine innocence and compliance served to us in the face of discrimination, exploitation, and endemic sexual abuse.” — My Riot Grrrl by Johanna Fateman Powerful words […]
Murder or Tragic Accident? The Mysterious Death of Elisa Lam
February 25, 2014
“The ‘uncanny’ … arouses dread and horror;” – Sigmund Freud Occasionally, there are cases so eerie that they give us chills and provoke feelings of the uncanny. In the mysterious case of Elisa Lam, a conundrum of strange and familiar occurances makes us believe in something sinister. Sigmund Freud stated that we see the effect of […]
Stalking Is Not a Love Song (Unless You’re Sting)
February 23, 2014
“Every breath you take And every move you make Every bond you break, every step you take I’ll be watching you” – The Police Sting’s breathy tribute to unrequited love or ‘stalking’ as we know it today. Sting wrote the song in 1983 when he was divorcing his wife. It won ‘Song of the Year’, […]
The Deathly Siluetas of Ana Mendieta
February 21, 2014
Highly prolific during her short life, Cuban artist, Ana Mendieta left behind an extraordinary body of work including her beautiful Siluetas – a series of earth-body sculptures where she imprinted or outlined her silhouette into or onto the natural elements. Hauntingly foreboding in their gesture, these works recall sites of mourning and the tracings of a […]
Missing on Christmas Eve: The Grisly Discovery of a Young Man’s Body
February 20, 2014
-December 24, 2013 It was Christmas Eve. I was staying with my friends, Doug, Suzanne and their son Aidan, in a quiet neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta. The house, nestled in the hills of Bridgeland, boasts panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains and downtown skyline. As we celebrated into the night, inside the home of another […]
Posted in: Literature, True Crime
Blood in the Snow: Belligerent Drunk Gets Starlight Tour to Highest Power in the Land
February 19, 2014
One starry winter night, you stumble down the walk, drunk, in a city on the Saskatchewan prairies. The cops pick you up; drive you to the edge of town; and dump you off. Rubber tires recede, crunching on bitter snow. The wind howls, stalking and taunting its prey. You are miles from anywhere with no […]
March 20, 2014
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